The Wild Wild West Dallas Irving Backpackers GuestHouse

I love this place. The staff are friendly, the location is very good, and it’s safe and quiet. There’s access to a full kitchen, and it’s close to the bus and train.

The manager was genuinely friendly and helpful, and I want to say that clearly. My experience at the place itself was probably the worst of my life, though I’ve stayed in a lot of hostels. The owner advertises it to tourists as a backpackers, but to me it felt more like a homeless shelter. I was there for one hour and communicated fairly and politely, but the owner wouldn’t refund me. I wouldn’t go there if I were a woman or unfamiliar with the streets of Dallas. It felt potentially dangerous, with obvious drug use. I’ll say again, the manager was great, but I felt the owner cared only about the money and had no morals. Thankyou.

The resident manager is usually on site and makes sure people follow the house rules, which made this a reasonable compromise for a few nights. The place feels more like a shelter for local, well-behaved but quirky homeless people than a backpacker hostel for international travellers. It’s walkable to a train and bus station, with quick rides into downtown Dallas. There’s also an Aldi and other local shops in the other direction, handy for inexpensive food and drinks that you can prepare in the hostel.

I’ve stayed in plenty of hostels, but this was probably the worst experience of my life. The place was nasty and horrible. Other guests were scary, disrespectful, and, to put it mildly, unwelcoming. They came into the bedroom at 2am for no reason and left the door open. I have never felt so unsafe. I would have slept outside if it hadn’t been so cold, and I mean that. Please don’t go there.